Helping more young Aboriginal students to excel at education and achieve their goals is the driving motivation behind Flinders University’s decision to become the principal sponsor of the 14th annual Santos Aboriginal Power Cup, the Port Adelaide Football Club’s flagship community initiative which aims to improve school attendance and graduation rates in Indigenous communities.
500 students from 65 SA schools will take part in a two-day football carnival and career expo at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide’s CBD (Thursday 27 – Friday 28 May 2021) with the initiative directly linked to the “Close the Gap’ target for year 12 attainment in Australian schools.
Flinders University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Associate Professor Simone Ulalka Tur says participating in the career expo connects the University with students, their families and the Aboriginal community to help develop pathways to further studies.
“The Aboriginal Power Cup engages young people in the importance of schooling and closing the gap in year 12 completion rates towards achieving educational outcomes which support the potential of young Aboriginal people,” she said.
“Flinders University is excited to establish its presence at the Careers Expo to offer more than 500 Aboriginal students from across South Australia the opportunity to discuss their ambitions and the best pathway towards achieving their dreams.”
“This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme is More than a Word: Reconciliation Takes Action – and Flinders University is taking this to heart, accepting the challenge of putting ideas into practice and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation, retention and success in higher education as part of our commitment to Reconciliation” Associate Professor Tur says.
Flinders University’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ambassadors are set to participate at the carnival and finals event at Adelaide Oval and the University is also supporting the introduction of an “Attendance” award at the VIP Awards Ceremony which will recognise the team with the highest attendance rate for the program.
The carnival represents the culmination of two terms worth of schoolwork related to developing a deeper understanding of Aboriginal culture and history – thanks to the generous support of the SA Government and run in partnership with the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy (SAASTA).
Participating students will receive 10 SACE credit points with the Aboriginal Cup event focusing on:
- Aboriginal culture
- Education- Years 10, 11 & 12
- Promoting healthy lifestyle choices
- Teamwork, leadership, resilience, and life skills.
The cup culminates in grand finals played as a curtain-raiser to Port Adelaide’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round game against Fremantle on Sunday 30 May. To reach the final, teams must meet the 80% minimum school attendance requirement and rank highly in both the academic and behavioural components of the program.
Port Adelaide Chief Executive Officer Matthew Richardson said the program was not just about football.
“The Santos Aboriginal Power Cup is driving real change for young Aboriginal people,” Mr Richardson said.
“By encouraging the students to both attend and complete their schooling, they are being given the platform to reach their potential with their education, future employment and life endeavours.
The Santos Aboriginal Power Cup is run in partnership with Santos, the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy (SAASTA), the Government of South Australia -Attorney-General’s Department, the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and Blooms the Chemist.
